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Storm's Brewing/EX-Chapters
The EX-Chapters of Storm's Brewing are chapters that, while related and considered canon to the main story, do not have impact on or drive the main plot. Therefore, they have been labeled with the Chapter EX name, and will be posted on this page. Chapter EX-1: Flowing Like Time Chapter EX-1 takes place before the fourth round of the Caliosteo Cup. It examines various alternate timelines corresponding to events that were suggested or once did happen within the story. ---- I yawned as I looked over at Thea, who, despite the early hour, was furiously mashing the buttons on her controller. Her face, however, was lazily staring at the screen, and she didn’t have her usual focus. “Y’know,” she hung her head over the couch, fingers still pressing away, “I’ve been wondering. How long have we really been here?” I chuckled a bit. “Yeah I know. It’s been what, three weeks? It feels like it’s been a year.” “More than that. Maybe six?” “That might be pushing it,” I laughed, but something about what she said was hitting home for me. A strange nagging feeling filled me, as if I’d already been through this before. I leaned a tiny bit in the dining room chair. I found myself awake on the couch, the television off and the controllers placed to the side. “Well?” I looked over at Thea, who was staring at me from the doorway. “Are we going?” “Going where?” I asked. “To the Soda Shoppe. This was your idea, you know. You had some big story to tell.” “Hey! Don’t doze off on me like that.” Thea’s face was hovering above my head, the game’s pause screen music humming quietly behind me. “Sorry.” I thought for a second, “Hey, did we have anything planned for today?” “No. Unless you mean the fourth round of the Cup, but that starts tomorrow.” “Alright, just wanted to check. If it’s alright with you, I’m probably gonna take a nap so I don’t start falling asleep again.” “Go ahead, knock yourself out.” I grinned at the pun. “Hopefully I won’t have to.” “Derrick! Quit staring at the scenery and get over here already!” I was currently standing on the edge of a cliff, gazing at the sky, before I turned to see Bob. “Derrick?” I asked. “Who’s Derrick?” “Huh?” Bob stopped in his tracks, visually confused. “That’s you! What, did you hit your head or something?” “No… At least, I don’t think so. Sorry Bob, things are just a little confusing right now.” “Bob? I’m Anthony. You’ve known me for years!” The scene in front of me shifted, the mountainous backdrop condensing to the familiar view of the Fighter Station. “Excuse me, Damon, is it? Can you come back into the Cleaning Room, please?” I quickly moved away from the reception desk and headed inside as ordered. There, Stella was overseeing a dozen staff members who were hurriedly trying to sort through a massive pile of fossils from a collapsed shelf. “Uh, sorry, what did you need me for?” “Your Carno rolled in here and crashed into the shelf of fossils.” “Uh, I’m sorry? I’m pretty sure my Carno went outside, not in here.” Stella frowned. “Please, don’t play innocent. There are plenty of witnesses that saw your Carno roll in from the plaza through the front doors.” “No, really, all you have to do is ask that Seth guy, he-” I was cut off by Stella’s raised hand. “I understand you’re probably new at all this, but I need you to be honest with me.” I looked over to Bob, staring at me, quickly waving his hand in front of his throat. The world warped once again, shifting up a floor to the dorm room. “Hi! You must be our other roommate! My name’s Kelesy, and that’s Thea. My boyfriend Primacron’s in the other room over there.” The young lady standing in front of me pointed at the room that Primacron and I shared. “Huh,” without thinking, I spoke, “I didn’t know Primacron had a girlfriend.” She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “You know Primacron? He didn’t mention knowing anyone else here.” “Sorry, sorry. I uh, met him in the hall. After the entrance ceremony. Sorry if I offended you, uh…” “Malarie. Geez, you should really pay more attention when people talk to you,” she huffed. “Wait didn’t you just say your name was-” “Candace! Are the ears on your head just for decoration?” Another shift, only this time, to a completely unfamiliar location. Ice was spread out as far as I could see. I shivered slightly, unprepared for the lower temperatures. As I looked around for some sign of familiarity, I locked on to a man in a bone suit. “Hey! You over there, can you tell me-” I stopped as the face turned, a mask hanging behind his head. “Rubicon?” “Huh? No, err, I’m Brutus.” He stammered, clearly taken aback by my presence. “Yo, Rubicon, what’s the hold up?” Bob shuffled out from underneath the snow, clearly dressed for the weather. “We’re finally making progress on the search for the Oonga Oonga!” “Brutus” sighed, and replacing his skull mask, looked over at me. “I’m really sorry about this,” he muttered, before a pterosaur made entirely of green bones appeared in front of my face. It screeched as the ice began to shudder, the outline of a yellow whale in the background. When I opened my eyes, the ice had morphed back to the lush greenery of Ribular. “Look out!” I barely had time to react to Thea’s scream when a large star-shaped object crashed in the center of the plaza. Out of the rubble strode a blue blob, with arms and legs. It vaguely reminded me of a video game character I liked to play as, before it spoke. “Citizens of Caliosteo, I have come from far away to win your tournament! Behold the might of my Shurizen, whose claws can-” “No!” I shouted. “Absolutely not! This is completely ridiculous!” I blinked, and I was awake in my bed, back in the dorm. Pinching myself once for good measure, I pulled out my phone and sent Lucille a message. “What in Frigi’s name was in that salad!” Chapter EX-2: In Endless Dreams Chapter EX-2 takes place following the fourth round of the Caliosteo Cup. It further examines alternate timelines representing various events that were suggested or once occurred within the story's history. ---- Lucille and I were sitting on the couch, a “Ribular Medley” placed in front of us on the coffee table. “There’s really nothing weird in this?” I asked for around the twentieth time. She shook her head, her small hat somehow hanging on. “I’m telling you, everything’s one hundred percent natural! The lettuce is picked from the Petrified Woods, the watercress is from Treasure Lake,” she counted on her fingers as she ran through the various ingredients in the surprisingly complicated salad. “And finally, the melon spuds, picked straight from the Jungle Labyrinth. I have complete confidence in my suppliers, they wouldn’t have just thrown something weird into your-” Realizing what she’d just said, I groaned. “Melon spuds? Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” She glanced at me, confused. “They’re supposed to provide you with a kick of energy! Not make you dream some weird dream with blue blobs and shuriken dinosaurs.” “I’m sure that’s what they’re supposed to do, but the last time I had melon spuds I ended up dreaming about some girl named Jenna, high school on a Sunday, and whatever Thunder Bones are. And don’t even get me started on their grammar.” “Hmmmm,” she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Are you sure it’s not something else?” I looked down at the list I’d been writing. “Absolutely.” Lucille grinned a bit. “Well I guess there’s only one way to know for sure. Say ‘Ah!’” “Wha-” I stopped as Lucille flicked a chunk of melon spud from the salad we were examining with absolute precision. I coughed a couple times. “Lucille!” “Let me know how it goes. Sweet dreams!” She ran for the exit; I tried to throw one of the aptly named pillows from the couch, but she closed the door, blocking the projectile’s path. Poking her head back in, she quipped, “Hey, ya missed pal!” before winking and closing the door again. I could only sigh. There wasn’t much to do but wait. “You’re an idiot.” I stood against the Bonehead Hollow at Treasure Lake, watching Thea reprimand Bob. “I’m not an idiot!” He yelled back, obviously upset. There was someone else missing from this scenario, though. “Hey, where’s Dino?” I asked. “Dino? That kid we haven’t seen since first grade? Why would he be here?” Bob dusted himself off, still glaring at Thea. “Saving you?” “No one saved me, I fell straight to the floor!” “Which makes you an idiot!” Thea cried. The scenery shifted to the Fighter Station, a “Closed for Repairs” sign over the door. “Well, I guess you owe me some ice cream, huh?” Thea nudged me in the side as she pointed at the clock. “Huh? Why would that be?” Apparently, I’d made a bet, but on what? “It’s a minute ‘till nine. If Bob doesn’t make it back in time, then you owe me!” Just as she finished, a large thud sounded as Bob picked himself up off the floor. “Whew… hey, so… are we going to… go in… or not?” he wheezed, an odd red-striped container in his hand. I found myself inside some sort of ruins, though the floor was littered with crumpled pieces of paper and half-finished diagrams. “Hey, are we almost done here?” A man wearing a smartly-pressed tuxedo was leaning against a wall. He lifted his sunglasses as he continued. “I doubt we can stay in this dump much longer.” A scattering of sparks erupted, before the other figure in the room took off a welding helmet. He stood, a cape billowing outwards as he turned towards the other figure. “Of course. Preparations are complete. We leave at sunrise.” A grin crept over his face. “We’ll reveal them for the fools they are.” “Hey! What are you doing here?!” A feminine voice shouted from behind me, and I spun, only to find the walls crumbling. The ruins collapsed around me, revealing the vast expanse of ocean, with Caliosteo quickly pulling into sight. I was currently stationed behind a few crates on the deck of a ship. “We’re now approaching Ribular Island. I hope you enjoyed your trip, and good luck with the Caliosteo Cup!” A voice called from inside the cabin. Another voice replied, “Thank you very much, captain!” I peeked, and saw a dark-haired girl disembark from the ship. “Huh…” I mumbled. “This one seems surprisingly normal. Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary, no arguments, nothing.” It was a little strange. However, as I got up to leave myself, a large wave shook the boat, sending me overboard. The sounds of the TV shook me awake, Thea gaming as usual, though seated on the floor rather than the couch. “You know you’re in my spot, right?” She asked, without taking her eyes from the screen. I yawned slightly as I righted myself. “Why didn’t you move me then?” “Lucille and Primacron both said not to. For different reasons.” I sighed. “I’ll bet.” At that moment, Lucille poked her head out of her bedroom. “Hey sleepy head! Anything interesting to tell me?” Chapter EX-3: Countless Realms Collide Chapter EX-3 takes place following the fifth round of the Caliosteo Cup. It examines multiple universes and their relationship to the main story's timeline. ---- I found myself in a round pod, a surprisingly simplistic computer built into the interior. I checked the screen, where all it said was “Late Cretaceous.” Another button opened a door, which let in a blast of cold air. Stepping outside, I was greeted with the sight of multitudes of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures roaming around. Someone saw me exit the machine and walked over. “Hey bud, glad you could make it!” “Huh?” If the computer was right, I was in the Late Cretaceous, which I definitely didn’t remember having any plans for. “Oh sorry. Let me double check something.” He counted on his fingers for a few seconds before speaking again. “Can’t didn’t couldn’t wouldn’t shouldn’t don’t I’m we’ve wasn’t who’s you’re-” “Why are you listing a bunch of contractions?” “Good, good! You know what they are.” He glanced from side to side before looking back at me, holding his hand to the side of his mouth as if to stop anyone else from hearing. “The people here have no clue what contractions are. Like I don’t mean some weird regional dialect or something, I mean everyone. Drives me nuts trying to make sure I don’t use any.” “Ah… I see…” I nervously laughed. “Anyways, you said you were waiting for me?” “Right, right. Hmmmm…” He looked around again at the sprawling landscape filled with dinosaurs and snow. “Here might not be the best place to talk about this though…” He suddenly pulled out a comically cartoonish looking gun and pointed it at me. “Close your eyes and hold on to your butt!” When I opened my eyes again, there was nothing but darkness, though I could see the person in front of me just as clearly as if there was light. “Where are we?” I asked, still looking around despite there being no change in scenery. “I guess you could call it a sort of… gap in space-time?” “A what?” “Right now we’re in between the world we were just in and the world you come from.” “Okay… why am I here?” “Well I noticed you snooping around a lot lately, so I decided to investigate, and boy have I learned some things.” “Snooping?” “You know all those dreams you’ve been having?” He continued when I nodded. “You’ve been projecting yourself into alternate versions of the world. What-ifs, in a sense. For example, if your name was different, or your friends’ names were different. Honestly a lot of them are just different names.” “Uh huh…” “Well as I was saying, what you saw were, for the most part, minor differences that have no real bearing on the world at large.” “The giant shuriken dinosaur was a minor difference?” “Yes. And so was the scientist in the ruins. And your Carno crashing into the Revival Room. All of it, small deviations that don’t change your timeline much. That girl, however…” “You mean the normal girl on the normal boat on a normal day at the normal beach?” “Yeah. She technically doesn’t exist in your timeline. Her existence was more or less transported to another timeline.” “And this is important how?” “It’s why you’re able to see all this. When something’s entire existence is removed from a timeline, something of equal value must be inserted. That’s just how things work. In this case, that would be a person for a person. But instead of one person, that other timeline coughed up two. Since that’s the case, there’s still a giant hole in your timeline that’s waiting for one of those two to leave.” They grabbed my head and turned it to a swirling circle I hadn’t noticed before. “You’ve been slipping through that hole, which lets you see a lot more than you should.” “I’m still confused.” I shook my head. If what He was saying was true, had I somehow affected other timelines? As if reading my mind, which wouldn’t surprise me at this point, he responded. “You sort of get a… temporary copy of a timeline. You view it, it reacts to you as if you were there, but once you leave, the copy disappears. Still, I don’t want you snooping too far, or you could get tangled up in this whole dimension swapping problem. And trust me, I’ve seen the world that girl ended up at, and it is not pretty.” My face must’ve still looked bewildered, because he sighed. “Stay. Away. From. The. Melon. Spuds,” they said, each word punctuated with a poke to my chest. I held up my hands. “Alright, I get it!” A thought quickly crossed my mind. “Wait, what about you? You said that if someone goes out of a timeline, they need to be replaced, right? Do you get replaced?” “No, I have a permanent existence in a timeline. I’m just a visitor. Anyways, it’s about time for you to go.” “Hold on. I have just one more question.” “Alright, go for it.” “Why are you concerned about me? You don’t really seem to care about what happens to that girl you mentioned, or the other two people that got sent here.” “Those are really two different things but… It’s not that I don’t care about them, but the forces involved with this means that I can’t directly interfere with any of them. My job isn’t to balance the universe, it’ll do that on its own. However, you weren’t initially involved in this, and I want it to stay that way. As for why, well… there’s someone important to me, and you’re an important person to them. Without you, I don’t know if they’d follow the same path, so I just want to make sure that nothing happens to you that shouldn’t. Now, that’s way over time, so Nychus, if you’d be so kind.” They waved their hand and a Dino Medal transformed, though the Vivosaur before me looked entirely different from the Nychus I’d seen on Caliosteo. It almost seemed to smile before it slammed me with its tail, sending me straight towards the hole. Lucille’s grin was a mile wide as I awoke. “What’cha got for me today?” “Lucille, don’t take this the wrong way, but if you keep feeding me melon spuds I might die.” “Pfft.” She dismissively waved her hand. “You’re just being silly- you’re not being silly at all are you.” I nodded. “Look, this is what the deal is.” Chapter EX-4: The Rain Falls Chapter EX-4 takes place after the Caliosteo Cup's conclusion, one month after the fight against Ray ends. It examines Damon's memories of his life before the Caliosteo Cup. ---- I felt a nudge on my hand as I stared out across Lake Renata. Rather than hover off the floor like he did normally, Elasmo instead opted to lay flat on the sand. “Yeah, I know buddy. It really has been a long time since we’ve been here.” Watching the gentle lapping of the shore, the memories filled my head, playing out almost like a movie. My parents first brought me here when I was seven. While the trip was mainly to examine the lakeside house, I was immediately enamored by the view of the lake. The June sun reflecting off the water made for a dazzling sight, and my parents could barely pull me away to give me another gift; the blue rimmed medal that would soon become my closest partner. Back then, revival was still a fairly new technology; even though my father had a friend that “knew a guy,” it couldn’t arrive in time for my birthday. I remembered laughing as I tried petting Elasmo, who initially recoiled in suspicion, but eventually relaxed and allowed the petting. Two years later, a nine-year-old me was squirming around in the car. The drive to Lake Renata for our yearly vacation trip was almost too much to bear; the second the car stopped I was out the door, Elasmo in tow, heading towards the lakeside. For a while my parents watched from the porch, before heading inside to unpack. The second they did, I grabbed a pair of swimming goggles from my pocket and dove beneath the surface. The previous year, I’d explored the lake with Elasmo, discovering many things my parents weren’t aware of, the most important of which was a small tunnel that lead to a ventilated cavern. I considered it my secret spot, the water my protection. Of course, the lake was simply nature, and nature belongs to no one. In my excitement, I’d failed to notice the rapidly approaching clouds, or the heavy ripples on the surface signaling the arrival of rain. Instead, I was focused on one thing, and one thing only; reaching the cavern. Once there, I pulled out a sealed plastic bag and the playing cards inside, laying them out on the floor and laughing as Elasmo picked a couple up in his mouth. It wasn’t until a card floated away from the play area that I noticed the rapidly rising water in the cavern. Panicked, I dove straight for the tunnel without thinking, and hit my head on the cavern’s ceiling. The last thing I could feel was a tug on my shirt that dragged me down into the water. An insistent nudge to my face brought me back to the present day. Elasmo was curled much tighter around me; he surely knew what I’d recalled and attempted to comfort me as the memory played in my head. “Thanks, I’m alright though.” I reassured him, giving the top of his head a quick rub. “It is getting kind of late though.” The setting sun sent an array of reds and oranges across the surface, broken only by the gentle waves. The contrast between the serenity of this moment and the fury of the waves all those years ago was night and day. It was perhaps the greatest thing I’d received here at Lake Renata. The knowledge that water was always changing, adapting. It was not something I could force to my will, but something I had to guide and channel. It was part of the reason I’d decided to train Water-typed Vivosaurs. I knew the what the potential of the water was, and I respected it. Of course, I knew one other thing now. While water was adaptable, it was only as strong as the vessel that held it. Nature was an unending vessel with infinite potential. I wasn’t. My team had the potential to be great, but I was the one holding them back. I silently thanked the man I knew only as Renegade before heading back to the Fossil Dig helicopter that was parked nearby. “Ilium Island please,” I said to the pilot as I boarded. “I have to talk to someone about a deep-sea expedition.” The pilot nodded, the helicopter blades slicing through the air. I took one last glance at the lake and wondered if that cavern still existed. “Though, if it wanted me to know, I would, huh?” I whispered to Elasmo, who only nodded. Chapter EX-5: The Waters Ever Change Chapter EX-5 takes place after the Caliosteo Cup's conclusion, one month after the fight against Ray ends. It examines Damon's motivations for traveling to the Seabed Cavern. ---- The whale’s inner walls vibrated slightly as the Bonehemoth dove deeper into the seas. I couldn’t help but stare at the large book in my hands. I noticed Robinson walking towards me and gave him a slight look of confusion. “The Bonehemoth knows where it’s going.” His eyes widened as they fell on the tome. “Is that...” “Huh?” I was slightly startled. “You know what this is?” “If I’m right, that’s the Aquaticus. A legendary book said to have been lost at sea.” He looked me up and down with a renewed interest. “And here I thought you were just some kid who wanted some rare fossils. Guess I gave you too little credit about that ‘making yourself stronger’ stuff. Still, I’d like to know how you came across this.” “Well, it’s actually not too exciting of a story…” About five months ago, while in Jungle Labyrinth, Carno ran off while I was getting ready for a battle. I followed it to a pyramid deep in the jungle, where Carno had suddenly reversed directions. After we finished our battle, I decided to stay in the jungle a bit longer, to try and see what exactly had Carno so spooked. That was when a voice called out to me. “Hey!” I turned to see, at the edge of a small clearing, a blanket laid out on the floor, crates stacked up behind it, and in front of it all, a woman with bright red hair. “Welcome to my shop!” “Your… shop?” My mind was a little dazed. I was sure I didn’t see it the first time I was chasing after Carno, though to be fair I hadn’t exactly been looking. “The one and only!” She smiled brightly, sitting down on the blanket. “I’ve got all kinds of stuff! Feel free to look around!” Stunned, there was little else I could think to do, and walked over to examine her wares. “Do you… get a lot of customers?” “Well,” she huffed, smile fading, “you’re the first one today. With all the commotion earlier, I haven’t seen anyone but those three goons. Not only did they keep all the customers away with that lame ‘monster’ of theirs, but they didn’t even want to buy anything! Just rare fossil this and rare fossil that! I tell ya, a lot of these people just don’t seem to understand the value of cold, hard, cash.” I nodded in agreement, still a little overwhelmed by the whole situation. It would have been rather rude to leave without buying anything, especially after what she’d just told me. The only problem was, I didn’t really have any need for a large shield, a vial of dust, a small statue, or what I hoped was a replica sword. My eyes fell on the most normal looking item of the bunch, a slightly weathered book with a faded blue cover. “What’s this?” She smiled again. “Ah! This right here is what you might call a…” she thought for a second, placing her index finger to her lips, “self-help book? It’s designed to bring out your hidden potential!” I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, she spoke again. “Now I know, I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘I’m fine, I don’t need any kind of self-help book,’ well let me tell you, this book won’t just help you compete, but it’ll push you past your limits! You’ll be like an entirely new person!” “Right…” I laughed awkwardly. “Well if it works as well as you say it does, I guess I can buy it.” “Great! That’ll be 20,000 G!” “I’m sorry, how much!?” “Look, I know you fighters are good for it. Have you seen the prices of things over at the guild? Trust me, for a one of kind book like this one, the competition would charge at least twice that!” Sighing, I pulled out the required bills from my wallet. Tucking the money away, she grinned. “Thank you for your business!” With my new purchase in hand, I was about to leave, when I turned around. “Oh, sorry, I don’t even know your name.” She though again, her finger moving back to her lips. “Would you believe me if I said I have amnesia and I just woke up in the middle of a field and don’t remember who I am?” “… Maybe?” “Great! Let’s go with that! Come again soon, okay?” She stayed on the blanket and waved as I left the clearing. “And that’s about it.” I took a breath, the story being a little rough to remember. “Well the way I see it, that lass gave you a great deal. For something like this, I can’t even imagine paying 20,000 G for it,” Robinson mused. “Huh, how about that.” I looked at the book again. I hadn’t seen the woman since then, but I made a note to thank her if I ever did. If she was right about the book’s value, maybe she was right about the book’s contents too. If this book could help me, I’d owe her a lot more than a couple thousand G. Chapter EX-6: The Path is Yours Chapter EX-6 examines Thea’s life before the Caliosteo Cup ---- Chapter EX-7: A Double-Edged Blade Chapter EX-7 examines Primacron’s life before the Caliosteo Cup ---- Chapter EX-8: In the White Light Chapter EX-8 examines Lucille’s life before the Caliosteo Cup ---- Category:EX-Chapters Category:Stories Category:Storm's Brewing